Data storage systems are arrangements of hardware and software that include storage processors coupled to arrays of non-volatile storage devices. In typical operation, storage processors service storage requests that arrive from client machines. The storage requests specify files or other data elements to be written, read, created, or deleted, for example. The storage processors run software that manages incoming storage requests and performs various data processing tasks to organize and secure the data stored on the non-volatile storage devices.
Some data storage systems employ compression technology to better utilize storage resources on the non-volatile storage devices. Compression enables the data storage system to store more data in the same amount of non-volatile storage. A conventional approach to compressing data involves the data storage system operating in the background to compress data stored in the non-volatile storage devices.